Dolphin Sands Clearwater Beach, an Ascend Collection Hotel

I would have given 5 stars but the elevator broke a couple hours after we arrived.

The on-site restaurant was surprisingly good, and I ended up enjoying several meals there during my stay. The staff was friendly, and the property was clean and comfortable. A couple of things to keep in mind: while the beach access is excellent, it was a bit of a distance to many of the shops and restaurants I wanted to visit. I also found the trolley system somewhat confusing and inconsistent. Sometimes it was difficult to tell how long I should wait, and a few times a trolley arrived that wasn’t going where I expected. My only real wish for the property itself is that it had a hot tub. That would have made relaxing after a day at the beach even better. Overall, I would recommend Dolphin Sands Resort to anyone looking for a relaxing beach getaway. If your main goal is spending time on the beach, it’s a great choice. If you’re looking for lots of attractions, shopping, and activities within walking distance, you may find the area a little quieter than expected.

We had a great 1 night stay here for a mom’s weekend away. Every staff member we came across was wonderful. I feel like the hotel/room itself could have been a little more updated - but overall wonderful spot with great restaurants and such within walking distance. Would stay again! :)

the private beach was perfect size and the view was perfect

Close to everything. Including stores, shopping, beach and pool

We love the location and atmosphere here. We always stay here when we visit the island. It's great for families or couples. We also love the aquarium and like that our stay helps support the aquarium. Definitely recommend staying here!

Superb

. .

Very good

Great property and awesome beach! Will definitely visit again!

Water pressure in the shower was very low. Also there was sewage smell coming up from the shower drain. Other than that, it was fine.

Exceptional

If you plan on booking here, just remember that the views and amenities and location are what’s best about this property. The inside of the hotel needs a renovation badly and the room was musty and the beds need to be replaced. It depends on what is important to you. Also, be prepared to pay $35 per day for parking and resort fees….Just being very honest.

Everything was perfect! Thank you for making our vacation the best ever!

Exceptional

The beach was amazing and staff was great. The rooms were nice but could tell it was older and could use some updates. Overall, we loved our stay and would book here again!

excellent all the way through

Loved the private beach ⛱️

Superb

Great place to stay. Room was spacious and staff were awesome !

Good

Superb

Ashley at the outdoor restaurant was outstanding and wonderful with our kids. The man at the front desk when we checked in June 2, 2026 6 pm ish was outstanding and continued to provide vip welcome everyone saw him. The staff, the beach and pool.

Perfect for hanging out at the beach. Excellent service on the beach. Excellent waitress on the beach or at the pool. Excellent price.

Exceptional

Exceptional

Location Didnt like the paid parking

Good

The bed was comfy and staff was helpful and courteous. I would have preferred refillable water bottles that I can refill over cans. As guests, we would like to have free chairs and umbrella.

Nice hotel, great location. Private beach and the pool were nice. Only thing I didn't care for was the pool and bar close by 9 o'clock. Plenty of other bars around but would have been cool to be able to swim in the pool later.

Perfect location could not fault this property

Very nice! Enjoyed my stay

Good

Victor's service was excellent.

The staff is super friendly, very accommodating. The hotel is right on the sand we saw manatees and dolphins. I didn’t like they don’t allow you to bring your own chairs to the beach and they don’t allow you to bring a cooler. They charge absolutely for everything even the person that rents the beach chairs said the tips are appreciated. She’s an employee and she gets paid for that.

Great location beach and pool were great staff on beach could not have done more A few extra expenses but not over board

Great little beach! Great staff and service at the beach!

Beds comfortable Easy access to the private beach Restaurant onsite so you didn’t have to leave Free trolley service so made it nice Everyone is friendly

When we first booked our room, we originally booked a city view room, not thinking too much about it! We enjoy sitting on the balcony at night while on vacation so we wanted to switch to a beachfront room. The staff was so accommodating and got us into a beachfront facing balcony the next day!! Definitely would stay here again!

The rooms were very clean. The restaurant and bar on the property made it very convenient, and the food was excellent and reasonably priced. The staff was helpful and friendly. Definitely will go back.

Great place to stay! Everyone was very helpful! We will be back!

The beach is very narrow and you cannot use your own chairs. The hotel charges $10 per chair. It's very small and crowded. The pool area doesn't have enough chairs. There was only one chair available. I did not notice the parking charge when I made my reservation, that was another $37. The window AC was so noisy we did not get a good nights sleep. We will not revisit.

I liked that you could have towels to take with you to the beaches and give back to the hotel when your done and how nice the people were there. The only negative thing I have to say for this hotel is when we can back to are room it was not cleaned up no new towels or having are bed made.

I love everything about this hotel! My family have been coming for the last 44 years

Nice place would stay there again

Great location

It was a great experience

The two daytime front desk clerks were a disappointment, one older lady was unfriendly and unhelpful, and the other sits in the back and is extremely slow. Not the welcome you expect. The room had a bad odor and wasn't as clean as it should've been. Worst of all, I spotted a roach - that's a dealbreaker for most people. The A/C unit made loud, disruptive noises all night making it nearly impossible to sleep. Walls are very thin so you hear everything. On top of that 8 am there's construction going on so no type of sleep is possible. Bathroom is tiny, and they make you check towels out and return them by 10pm which feels unnecessary for a hotel stay. On top of that, Expedia showed a 12pm checkout but the hotel enforced 11am - that inconsistency needs to be fixed. Wouldn't return or recommend until serious improvements are made, especially around cleanliness and maintenance.

The staff was very friendly and helpful. We loved the beach and pool area.

Great property

Clean room good service

Entire Staff was wonderful. They made our long drive from NJ totally worth it. We will definitely be back. The Cabana Grill had good food and service as well.

No trash bags or trash compartments available to clean up our area. Not enough lightning. No shower pressure. The T.V had only 4 channels. I definitely wont be booking here again.

I LOVE The Dolphin Sands have stayed there like 5 times now. It has been all refreshed with a new and improved beach bar and beach area. It is literally steps to the private beach.They wait on you on the beach for both food and drinks. The food from their Restauraunt is really good and has a great selection. It is smaller and has a great vibe. It is my go to place.

The hotel is very clean and the beach front is excellent.

Definitely a good choice.

Mariah was fantastic at the desk. She was so helpful and accommodating. Nice large rooms, beautiful beach and the restaurant was yummy! I will be back!

Beautiful hotels, loved everything about it. The only thing that was disappointing is that there is no exercise room as described in there website. That is why we picked the dolphin sand was because it advertised everything we wanted..

awesome private beach area, very friendly staff and guests. can’t wait to go again!

Great beach bar

I love this place and I will be back! It’s a hidden gem.

Cleanliness and Friendliness are the outstanding features of this hotel. The room was immaculately clean and the staff was warm, friendly, and very helpful. The beachside bar is great and the private beach is the awesome. I will definitely stay here again and highly recommend it.

Sign in was quick and not very informative. Room cleaning was to be every other day and our room was only cleaned 2days out of 7. Outdoor staff was wonderful, attentive and remembered your names. Jen and Ashley really made the stay worth it. Pool area was good but by 4th day it needed to be cleaned. Beach was small but beautiful. We were told our last day that the hotel next door that had a roof restaurant were shared hotels and we could use that . That food was wonderful vs hotel dinning was not so good. I have a suggestion for bathroom showers they need grab bars as they are very slippery. I will not say it was the worst hotel and I rate it a good 6.

The beach view was incredible.

Rooms were small but efficient the view was gorgeous the staff was informative and friendly and the pool was just right!

We had a poolside room and 4 other guests throughout our stay tried walking in because they thought it was an entrance. WiFi is so so so so bad. Poolside door to our room does not stay shut. We were also locked in from going to the pool and had to ask someone to finally unlock it. Only 20 available channels for cable on the tv. While checking out the front desk guy never asked how our stay was or anything just told me to put our room cards in the bin and go. You would think after staying here for 4 years he would say thank you for choosing us or something like that but he was rude. Housekeeping was actually pretty decent checking our room a couple different times and poolside service- Ashley and Brianna and Ariel. AMAZING.

Stayed here with my son for our first vacation and we loved it! The staff was amazing!

Excellent location and staff! Front desk was awesome! No gym, but it's easy to go out for a run. No onsite coffee shop (lobby coffee meh) but one right down the street. I would stay again.

Really great secluded spot in the channel. Staff was very friendly

After being in the sun all day a relaxing night in bed watching tv would have been great. Unfortunately the tvs don’t connect to the internet so there is no streaming despite them being smart tvs and the WiFi being strong. Very confusing and making each night a boring long spell on our phones. :( other than that it is a friendly clean family place in a great spot!

Loved the beach area and tiki bar!!

The WiFi was horrible. The WiFi continued to go out

The staff was the best part. Very attentive and respectful on all shifts (we checked out at 3am for an early flight). The room was clean. No issues with cleanliness at all in this hotel. The hotel restaurant was phenomenal, and I don't mean "just for a hotel restaurant." It really was flavorful, fresh food, and the drinks were great. The hotel pool was good. It's 3 1/2 feet on the shallow side and 8 1/2 feet on the deep end. Nothing to write home about- it was pleasant. The hotel next door had a nicer pool and we incorrectly assumed there was a "pool agreement" between the hotels like the last hotel we stayed at that shared parking/restaurants. No- pools are the exception to this hotel's agreement. For the price it's hard to complain. Small, private beach. Restaurants on-site. Not a very busy road (walkable). It was great for a one-night stay before our flight. Compared to the many other hotels we've stayed at, this one needs a renovation. The location, staff, restaurants etc are all fantastic. The interior of the building is a bit depressing though, and the occasional bright colors scattered throughout the building don't quite make up for the fact that it feels like a 30 year old Days Inn once you enter a hallway or room (or shoot, even the lobby elevator).

Second time staying here. Best location and value on Clearwater Beach. Arguably the best food as well. Private beach, older but clean rooms, and an amazing staff. This is a go to every time we come and will gladly repeat again in the future.

Smaller but nice hotel, room was pleasant and clean and beds comfy, staff helpful. Restaurant good and not too pricy. Pool and private beach were nice, though the beach furniture for rent filled up 90% of the beach. Our only disappointment was the location. My husband does not walk well, so I chose this hotel as being right on the beach; but it is on a bay without a good view of the main body of the gulf, and the surf is very tame. I liked the large public beach better but it was 15 minute walk up the road (husband didn't go).

Amazing overall!

Loved the private beach and the onsite parking garage. The room was perfect for what we needed to enjoy a week on the beach and in walking distance to restaurants/entertainment.

We really enjoyed Dolphin Sands. The pool, beach and outdoor restaurant/bar were great! The room was fine but could use some updates. Our coffee maker needed a good cleaning so we just got coffee from the lobby. One downside is there are a lot of fees. $25/day to park, $10 a day for a resort fee, and you have to rent the beach chairs/umbrellas. For the price you pay to stay at the resort you would think these things would be included. All in all we had a really great time here!

Staff was super friendly and hotel was nice has nice beach and pool great for kids

We had a very nice stay. It is a very family oriented hotel. Our only complaint is the building is outdated. The elevators are very slow and there is only 1 ice machine for the entire hotel. However, the actual rooms are clean and updated. The hotel is located in a great area.

WiFi wasn’t good, elevators are very small, and the lighting in the bathroom/vanity were all one switch. Vanity was in the general room area so that light turned on in the sleeping area any time a mid night bathroom trip occurred.

My view from my room had a dumpster out side the window the last day we were there it was removed. Staff amazing. I would stay again in a minute.

The hotel itself is older, but the rooms are clean and updated. We were told at booking that there was access to a gym, but that turned out not to be true. That should be updated in the description of the hotel. The view can’t be beat, though!!

very relaxing and was comfortable, clean and great staff

The beach service was amazing and all drink/food were delicious. The beach chairs and umbrellas are placed perfectly on the beach allowing you to stay out until sunset.

Friendly staff and beautiful private beach. Will be back.

Very pleasent stay. Beautiful beach, nice room nothing over the top but considering the price it was good!

Everything and all staff were amazing.

Stay was pleasant

The cleanliness was unacceptable. There was used toilet paper left on the bathroom floor and a dirty towel in the room, which clearly indicated the space had not been properly cleaned prior to my arrival. To make matters worse, there was a rat trap placed near the balcony area, which is completely inappropriate and concerning for any guest. I immediately requested a refund upon seeing the condition of the room but was given a difficult time by staff. I left the hotel right away and later spoke with a manager over the phone. Although I was refunded 75% of my stay, they claimed it was because I had “used the linens,” which is completely false. This experience was extremely frustrating. Between the misleading room description, serious cleanliness issues, and poor handling by staff, I would strongly caution others before booking h

Everyone from the staff we ran into were super friendly and welcoming. The only staff complaint I have is the morning male breakfast server we had. Walked up to the table, never said his name just told us eggs were backed up but pancakes were great (ok some humor, no biggie), then proceeded to tell us the next three things we tried to order were out of stock. His humor wasn’t so welcoming in the morning. Overall we would stay here again and again.

Great private beach fun tiki bar and pool area

Clean rooms, comfy beds , heated pool with adjoining private beach access. This is a 5 🌟

Beautiful family resort

Very accommodating

The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. The cleaning staff did a wonderful job cleaning the room when I was out. While there aren't amenities like a gym, the beach and pool more than make up for that.

Right on the clean beautiful beach! Walk to everything.

The private beach was wonderful! Parking was very easy and although a little pricey- it was on par with the area. The staff were great. We would definitely stay here again.

Nice hotel. Elevator is small. Tall people may need to duck their heads due to low ceiling. No breakfast but does have an onsite restaurant. Very convenient to tourist destinations in Clearwater.

Overall it was very good! I would go back

The location of the property was awesome! The rooms were ok and the balcony was less desirable. Mel the beach attendant was #1 very disappointed in the way they treat people who smoke. The hours of the restaurant and bar are very odd being people come to vacation and everything shuts down by 9 or 10.

Good Location away from High Crowded areas

Great property in perfect location

I will definitely be returning to this location. Charming staff, casual, and comfortable family atmosphere, clean rooms and property well maintained an all areas.

Very nice hotel. It’s right next to some great shops within walking distance. Plenty of parking. We will definitely be back.

Hotel was close to everything we wanted to do. Beach bar and restaurant were great. Wonderful sunset views from the bar area.

We did not need the laundry service; the staff was extremely courteous and helpful. The pool was very nice and we would stay there again.

I really like this property. It was very clean and the staff was wonderful. Right on the beach on a nice restaurant.

Perfect location and clean rooms.

Room was clean. Disappointed with balcony view. Nice view of golf but giant dumpster was right there in the view.

Staff were very kind and helpful. Pool and beach were great. Everything is within walking distance. Housekeeping was wonderful.

Thought they employees valet maid front desk all did an excellent job

Great place to stay!

clean room, great balcony and view, excellent pool, wish there was a hot tub and ice on each floor. the ice machine also was in a weird location and looked pretty dirty. the staff were fantastic!

Wonderful place to stay. Beach was awesome. Staff very kind and helpful. Room was clean and comfortable. We enjoyed the pool and daily music / drinks on the patio. The only thing i didn't like was having to pay for a chair on the beach when we are already paying to stay on the "private " beach. But, that was the only down... excellent stay!

Staff was great, Room needed some work/upgrading. A/C unit rattled a lot. The vanity area didn’t have a door and was on the same light switch as the bathroom so if you went to BR at night the vanity light would light up the room and wake others up. BR issues were just covered with fresh paint.

There was a giant contruction boom outside my balcony you could almost touch it,

Our favorite part was renting the chairs on the beach and having drinks brought to us

Very good experience

My partial ocean view was obstructed by a lull that was being used at 7am and parked at night. When I wanted to open the balcony door a sign notified me we can't keep the door open. When I wanted to sit on the beach it was an additional charge for a chair. If I wanted to smoke I would have to go in the corner of the parking garage. Pool is open dawn to dusk, dusk was at 6pm. Room was small. I felt like I was at my mother in laws house. Staff was nice, property clean but I wish I stayed next door at the Hampton Inn.

All great!

Room was clean. Staff was helpful and friendly

Clean room and friendly staff

Good value for the money - great location, Kids loved the pool, Beach was nice. Nice to have a balcony in the room and free coffee each morning. It’s not the fanciest place but serviceable and clean - met our needs for a short stay.

The hotel was clean and the staff were friendly. We had no issues with check-in, parking, or beach access. Would stay here again as it is a cute and quiet area and within walking distance to a lot of different shops and restaurants.

Yes!!!

Clean and very friendly outstanding customer service.

The room was very clean. The front desk people were considerate and friendly.

Room was small and had been remodeled several times. Walls & doors were thin so heard noise feom the hallway.

The room was very clean… All the staff members were very professional and courteous. The pool and beach area were very nice.

The room was clean and it was a nice stay

Everyone was great .

The staff was outstanding. They were very kind and helpful.

Room was clean, beds comfortable but reserved a king bed and got 2 queens. Room 211: balcony over the dumpsters for the resort ;(

It was a nice hotel with very friendly staff in an excellent location.

Very nice staff....

Room was good. Except for the work crane that started up every morning at 8am right outside my room. Shook the room as it moved by.

Room was supposed to be cleaned every other day, but all the maid did was take our dirty towels, and leave new ones. Didn't even leave any toilet paper or tissues.

Didn't stay. Rude staff, people camped out on it balcony, fell because there's stairs right as you get off the elevator no one warned us about!!!

Everything was ok but charging for beach chairs was disappointing.

Staff was great, beds were comfy, and room was quiet. Bathroom needed some upgrades (rust and mold present) and included toiletries were terrible. Decent accommodations for what we paid, but not luxury by any means. We did not use the beach or pool.

The friendliness of the staff and a welcoming attitude. The beach, restaurant and hotel were amazing parts of our vacation. Perfect stay.

Our room was very clean and we had the partial ocean view, which was perfect. The only downside was the extremely loud construction next door. They started every morning at 8am, even on weekends, which made sleeping in impossible. The room itself is on the smaller side and could definitely use more storage space for luggage and clothing, but overall it was comfortable and spotless. The heated pool was amazing — we sat poolside every day and loved it! A huge shoutout to Ashley, China, and Krista at the bar — they were absolutely fantastic and made our trip even better. The front desk staff were also very friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Overall, we had an amazing vacation and will definitely be back!

Good

Friendly staff. Location is great. I wish parking was included in price. Enjoyed the Tikki Bar and beach staff. There was a lady working the beach who kept it clean and well managed. I appreciated her hard work.

All was good until this morning we were awakened by construction directly outside our window. VERY loud banging and drilling at 7:30 AM! Very thin walls heard them talking too.

Staff was amazing, friendly and helpful. Loved the music at the pool bar. The restaurant had great food .Room was nice.maid could have done better.Had to go get coffee everyday. Sometimes we had to get other supplies from the front desk. I would recommend.

Room was not very clean. Also, noisy.

The beach front balcony view was absolutely amazing! Nicest hotel we’ve stayed at in years. Bartenders & car attendant were great! Front desk staff on the other hand was not knowledgeable on the area & didn’t have map of area or trolly schedule. Great location & views though, we will be back!

The staff was friendly, front desk always helpful, and our view was amazing!

Staff was very helpful

Was very nice and clean. Only had one problem as one outlet didn't work. No big deal. Staff was really great. Deno, janece, Mel, Joel, Krista, Anthony, Jace and a few others all very helpful.

The staff were courteous and friendly, from Mariah at check-in who assigned us a room with a spectacular view, to Marisol who kept our room shiny clean, to Marc who made our time on their private beach wonderful and Alex who exuded hospitality in the restaurant. There were many more staff who we encountered that were polite and friendly.

Unfortunately we were at the side of the hotel where all the noise was from steeet noise and noise from construction and the parking structure.. if you stay here make sure you do t get a side room. The adjoining restaurant had great food

Seemed we could have our own drinks by the pool, not on beach as that is part of restaurant. Lounge chairs were expensive but we brought our own. Lots of crabs, shells and snails for kids to find in water on beach.

Room was good but there was construction starting at 8am every morning. The equipment was right outside our window. I mentioned it to front desk staff and no one seemed to care. Would have been nice for someone to at least acknowledge and say sorry.

Room was nice, bed and pillows need updating along with the shower (very low water pressure from the shower head). Room 301 was listed as a partial ocean view which technically it was, but most of the view was the parking garage. The only smoking area on the entire property was inside of the parking garage just off the street.

Hidden gem, clean room, clean hotel. Pool plus your own private beach. Perfect location, walking distance for restaurants, shopping and everything in between. Great stay and we will def come back!

They moved our initial room away from the elevator because it was noisy, but the room we got moved to had 2 queens and both mattresses smelled like urine. We had already moved once and they were at full capacity so there was nowhere else for us to move. I have never experienced anything like this before in my life. I’ll never stay at another choice hotel.

Loved Alex, she is an asset to your team! Room was clean and staff friendly and accommodating. Will definitely go back.

Room and staff were great! Helped us with all our concerns! Thank you!!!

Great place to stay! Room was spacious and clean. Amenities, pool and beach, were also great! Definitely recommend for a couple get away or family vacation.

Say very quiet nice staff nice pool right on a beach area with a bar and live music

The staff is very nice, there’s a nice pool area and a little bar with live music and right on a beach

The room was clean and the front staff was very helpful

We love Dolphin Sands. The staff is amazing. Great location and rooms are nice. We will be staying there again next time in Clearwater.

The restaurant was great as well as the pool area bar The omly thing that Id change is the bathroom configuration and I would have a sep separate switch for the light over the sink and the tub/toilet area

Great place and great location. Great staff! This is going to be my go to place for Hermann.

Beach view is excellent! Clean, beachy rooms close to shopping, dining, and more beach access.

Older complex but very clean. Nice, smaller beach area. It was VERY loud the next morning starting around 7 with construction is why the 4 star

We didn't get the room service they said yesterday. The rest was good, the staff very nice. The elevators not so clean

The room was clean and the staff was very attentive and friendly!

The hotel was so clean, welcoming, with a lovely staff. The beach is impeccable, with great food. And the staff are always so super responsive to every question and. need. Had a great Florida vibe.

Beach was perfect parking expensive $25 a night Room was clean lil bit updated tiki bar very nice staff and great burgers drinks

Room, hotel clean, staff courteous. Great location. Enjoyed the stay.

It was great

The staff was nice and, they made the stay very pleasant/relaxing. I will definitely visit again.

Parking is a hidden fee tho but managers waived it !

The check-in experience was outstanding. The front desk staff was friendly and the process was quick and well organized. Overall, the hotel has great amenities, including a heated pool, a nice bar, convenient access to the on-site restaurant, and beach chair and umbrella rentals. The only disappointment was that the hotel was under construction during our stay, and this was not communicated in advance. Had we been notified, we could have decided whether the construction noise would affect our plans.

Nice place.

The room was very clean and quiet. Our room had a city view, and even after midnight on New Year's Eve, our room was quiet. The staff was friendly and very helpful. We slept well every night. The mattress was excellent...better than what we have at home. If you're looking for ecomony and quality, Dolphin Sands is the best choice on the beach. I would highly recommend Dolphin Sands.

Staff were all very friendly and helpful

Loved the private pool and beach area and staff were very friendly.

Everything was absolutely PERFECT

Horrible noise on last morning of stay which was a Friday January 2nd. Between the lawn blower going full steam at apx 7am and then the boom lift truck moving for almost 99 minutes straight to exit the property with a very loud non-stop beeping I’m not sure which is worse. Forget about coming to the beach to relax and sleep in and enjoy the quiet morning on the water. It was horrible! Views were beautiful however and front desk staff was friendly and helpful for what they could do. Whoever manages maintenance for this property needs to get their head out of their butt and get a clue for guest experience overall !!!

the next door hotel. After that switch we had a great view plus convientant location.

Staff was great! The room was very clean, but it looked rush (the TV had cleaning spray marks all over it as well as the remote that was underneath the TV, the cans of complimentary water also had cleaning spray residue on top). The TV also had a black line going down the right side.

Very friendly staff, clean updated rooms. The beach and pool along with the pool side bar is amazing! Definitely a five star hotel! Great location!

Best place in the area. Totally unique!

However....great location. Beach staff Mel hard working, courteous, upbeat.

We had a great time!Thank You

Construction, old old old, mildew, oderous. Never never never again. I rate this socalled resorr as a zero. Fir the money they charge... rip off

Mel was an amazing beach attendant and everyone at the front desk was very helpful and sweet.

Really nice beachfront property. Very clean resort. No negatives

The hotel was under construction all you heared allday was banging and beeping . We also have a service dog, and some of the workers would say yes its ok to have him on The beach and then others would say no its not ok ,and they told us we couldn't leave him in the room by himself. So we couldn't do anything because one minute our service dog wasnt allowed and one minute he was . So we cut our vacation short by 2 days . Why pay for a place to stay when you cant do anything because none of the employees are on the same page none of them know the right rules at this hotel .

Rooms were clean. Beach area was well kept and staff weee very helpful.

Everything was very basic. Room was clean but aged. The pool is only open during the day which is such a disappointment if you take the family site seeing all day and come back to the hotel, there is nothing to do.

Perfect stay!

Highly recommend!

It was a very nice stay for a date night. The view was nice seeing both the ocean and pool. Good vibes.

The room was clean and inviting, the staff was exceptional, and the restaurant on site was delicious.

The room had everything needed to stay for a while; good size closet / cabinets, microwave, refrigerator, 2 big comfortable beds, table with a chair… could be used as a work desk… and good bathroom set up, the sink is separate from the toilet and shower, so if someone needs to wash their hands or clean something, it won’t be bothering anybody using the bathroom… really happy with the place… Right across the street are a couple of souvenir stores, restaurants, a market, and everything needed not to leave the area….

Clean room, friendly staff, great location. Good food at Cabana’s. Jolley Trolley is free with your room card. Loved the beach and pool area was quiet until the Hampton cranked up the music.

Staff and amenities were amazing. We paid for an oceanview room and we got a "big crane and large dumpster" view. The big piece of machinery loudly beeped for an hour twice a day, every day. It was pretty obnoxious.

The property was ok...bathroom and storage for clothing was less than adequate

Great hotel for the price! Very affordable, excellent location, and the staff was friendly and helpful throughout our stay.

The staff were great!

Room was clean and view was great. Quite at night. Staff very helpful and friendly.

Other than a sandy floor when we entered, it was a good experience. I do recommend not staying on the ground floor if you want quiet. The combination of a tile hallway floor and the luggage cart can be noisy. But the layout on the beach was nice and the bar options are pleasant. Manager and staff were friendly.

Room was updated … we were upgraded which was nice… small hotel. Perfect location. Great pool. Heated. Quiet end of beach. You can see the sunrise and the sunset. I’m being nitpicky, but the room could’ve been a bit cleaner. But when I complained, they did come in immediately and fix my complaint. Food at the restaurant was very good. I would definitely stay there again.

I don’t agree that you have tops for a beach chair when your already staying at the hotel.

The staff is amazing. Always very kind and attentive.

Nice room, older but clean and convenient

We enjoyed our first experience at the Dolphin Sands! Will stay there again. Recommend it!!!

Great place !!!!

The room was very clean and very nice! Enjoyed having a safe refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker in the room! Staff was very nice!

Rooms were clean and week kept

1) cleanliness of the hotel room was not good - stains from previous guests on the floor, bathroom and furniture. I had to clean myself. I later found a pair of panties between the bed and wall. The turn down between guests is terrible. Complained and hotel didn’t do anything. 2) was supposed to have room service every second day - only had cleaning twice - made this aware to the cleaning staff and front desk several times. 3) room was advertised as bath/shower and it only had a shower - complained and they attempted to switch me over to a room with only a shower as well. 4) they charged me for parking even though I didn’t have a car, I told them this when I checked in that the fees payable at the hotel didn’t make sense,they told me if I didn’t pay it they would cancel my reservation. Took four days to resolve this until they removed it wasting my vacation time. Complained almost daily about these issues and end up speaking to 6 different people and they said they understood and felt terrible (especially with the panties) but in the end it was just mouth service and they did absolutely nothing. Manager was never in and when I left my cell number nobody to this day called me back. They told me they would have loved to refund me a night but couldn’t because I booked with Expedia. Complained to Expedia and they couldn’t do anything as the hotel wouldnt refund anything. Everyone was nice and polite but no one could do anything.

I don’t know what people were complaining about. The carpet is meant to look like the ocean. It’s an ocean theme hotel. It may need a little bit of updating in places, but overall really not much. We absolutely loved staying here. The staff was so friendly and nice and the room was unbelievably clean and I have high cleaning standards

Clean room, friendly staff, we had a wonderful stay!

Such welcoming staff as soon as you drive in. Someone was there to greet you out front and direct you to the parkade. The front desk Ethan was super friendly and helpful. The room was basic but had everything we needed. The pool and beach area was pristine. Overall we wished that we could have stayed longer, thank you.

Na

I had the worst view of the parking garage and there was machinery also there with workers .

This hotel was a great pick for us because it is really conveniently walkable to anything and everything we wanted. It is a smaller, charming hotel with great, friendly staff and the beach/pool right outside your door. There is a food market, liquor store and mini golf right across the street. The only issue we had is with the TV in our room. There was no channel guide either in the room or on the screen. It was very difficult to find any of the channels that we wanted to watch. We actually had to get someone to come to our room twice to try and find the normal channels. They really need to put a laminated channel guide with explicit instructions in every room, it would alleviate the problem. (And I know it’s a problem because while I was at the front desk discussing this another guest said they were having the same issue.) Aside from that one small issue we both loved the place and the staff, Maurice, Ethan and all the girls at the front desk, and Candis the bar server at the pool. We have already booked it again for April!

The room was fine, the staff was helpful and friendly and the Crab cakes at the restaurant were delicious. The actual beach, however, left a lot to be desired. Pictures don't show that it's a shell beach that is on a waterway that isn't coastal. No ocean view from here. Not kid friendly. They can't wade in the water because it gets deep quickly.

Staff was friendly and helpful each day

Nice room, loved the live music every day and night, super friendly staff! Pool was very clean and location was fantastic. They even hooked us up with a box fan for our room!! (We’re those people that can’t sleep without a fan!) Free Trolley pass was perfect!

Great!!

The room was really clean and the staff were very nice

Great service

The view and staff were great

Staff and location was excellent

In a handicap room on first floor no view at all

Great staff, especially the beach attendant, Mel :)

This was a nice quiet place to take our young family. Staff were friendly and helpful. The whole place isn't modern like some other hotels down the beach but the odd scuff here and there adds to the charm.

Good location. Rooms a little basic but functional. Only one functioning elevator. Reception staff could have been a little friendlier.

We really enjoyed the property, everything except for the free breakfast, which only offered two different things for kids which my kids did not like unfortunately. Otherwise, everything else there was great including the staff.

Mark and the staff were amazing! My room was beautiful! Definitely will be back!

What I loved most is that everything was within walking distance—restaurants, cafés, shops, and entertainment—so I didn’t need a car at all. The area is safe and easy to navigate, especially at night. The staff were incredibly friendly, helpful, and welcoming, which made my stay even better. If you value comfort, walkability, great service, and a calm beach experience, I highly recommend Dolphin Sands Clearwater Beach. I would happily return again with my husband.

The staff was very friendly and helpful. Very nice place. I’m going back. Older hotel, acquaint clean , the views are beautiful.

Beach and location great! Pool service and tiki bar amazing. Pay 25.00 a day for parking outrageous.

Bed was comfy breakfast was good.

Everything was great at this place will be coming back soon

Property needs to be updated. The elevators, bathrooms. The staff do their most to please the customers. Everything is covenient, but the building needs help.

The room’s balcony door was not sealed correctly, causing the room to be extremely humid. It made everything sticky and made it hard to sleep. Turndown service showed up 2 times over the course of 7 days. The beach access and bar were really nice. It’s a nice place, but it needs some upgrades.

Should have free parking for how much money we paid 35 dollars a day added another 261.80 to my budget that wasn't in budget

Great staff Nice pool and beach

This hotel has hidden fees: you have to pay for parking, you have to pay to access the beach, you have to pay for towels if you don't return them on time, and you have to fill out paperwork to get one. You also have to pay for using sun loungers. Start charging for lying in the sun and walking on the sand—it's complete nonsense.

Staff was excellent. Evys restaurant was very good. Room cleanliness not very good.

Nice place just need some work on it and new carpet.

Very nice and friendly

Staff were amazing !

Everything was wonderful except the room and hallway was musty.

Room unkept toilet and sink continuous clogged. air conditioning loud and smelled. Can hear all outside/next door and hallway noises and conversations. Loud conversation from the across garage along with screeching tires all night from cars in and out.

The hallway had a smell and 1 elevator was broke down. The rooms were nice and the bed was very comfortable. We enjoyed a walk after dinner down to pier 60. Saw dolphins while on the beach. For the price, we were happy.

We were very unhappy with our stay. It started with an email after we booked and paid for the room telling us there were additional charges for beach loungers (not included in listing) and that for our safety we couldn’t use our own chairs (our safety?…what a stupid thing to say). I sent the hotel a message and also let them know that my wife has a bad knee and had difficulty with loungers and asked if we could use our own chairs given this issue. The hotel refused to make any accommodation, essentially preventing us from using the beach. Listing said the room had a city view, but in reality we had a view of their parking ramp including the car alarms going off in the middle of the night. Plus the connecting doors in rooms are so thin we had no trouble listening to our neighbors have a conversation at 1 am. The humidity in the room was awful (and we live in Florida near the beach…but their a/c did nothing to limit the moisture). I would have complained but after the utter indifference shown to a simple accommodation, I had no reason to think they would do anything. We travel frequently and this was the worst hotel experience in years. We absolutely will never stay at another Aspire Collection hotel.

Nice private beach

Hotel staff was 5 Star , Mark at the beach rental was especially friendly and helpful!! Hotel food and drinks were really good . Only complaint was the in wall AC unit was rather noisy but not a major issue. For the value this hotel is an excellent choice

Clean room ,nice staff , great pool, private beach , restaurant service , everything was perfect !

Surprised how convenient everything was. Very nice ocean view!

Staff inside and outside are wonderful. Hotel is very clean.

Stayed here with a friend for a long weekend. Very nice older hotel with convenient parking in the garage. We had an ocean view room which allowed for a nice view of the ocean. Very comfortable beds. The staff was friendly and helpful. Great location. Would definitely recommend.

Thank you, great service

Staff - rooms Beach view

I loved that they have a private beach. It doesn't get too busy (at least during my stay at the end of September). The staff is super friendly and helpfu.

Really! Gave us Dolphin2023. Logic is, it’s not 2023.😜

Great location with Gulf view restaurants and bars. Staff very nice and accommodating. Older hotel and thread-bare bath towels. And staff eager to recommend whatever we were looking to do.

the guy who checked us in was friendly but the other front desk staff were rude and not friendly. the staff outside the parking garage were friendly though. hotel was right on the beach, except we had to pay for the chairs. ridiculous to charge for resort fee and not include beach chairs! overall, would not recommend this hotel!

Had a great stay!

Great place

Beach area was clean, chair options were plenty and the bar was convenient for drinks or food.

Check in was amazing came about 5:30 and the staff was amazing and helpful! Saturday morning Tiffany at the desk was rude and not approachable. Her answers were short and felt very rude. I know she probably deals with a lot of rude people but it was about 8am so I would imagine it was too early for that. The weed smoke smell in the hallway of floor 5 was so bad! For not being a smoking hotel there should be more measures to make sure people are not smoking. I got an instant headache and even sitting on the patio Friday evening the room next us on the balcony was smoking cigarettes so that was not cool. The breakfast at cabanas was gross but the service was great, our server on Saturday was upbeat and very nice. Short stay for a quick getaway the area was nice and outside beach area with the chairs were fantastic!

Will stay here everytime I visit Tampa.

Room was never cleaned and had to ask for towels as

Hotel is an older property but has been nicely updated. Private beach access was great. I am looking forward to staying here again.

Building could use some renovation, but staff was wonderful

Room was clean, it was nice hotel but could use some updates. It has nice beach access. The staff was kind and friendly.

Love the private beach, they have severs in the beach that bring you food and drinks, the servers went into the water to give drinks, great services,

Beach access , view clean room

Great location, quaint beach, beautiful views

My daughter and I went for a long weekend, for her birthday. We loved the private beach and pool area. The staff were very friendly and helpful. We would definitely recommend and stay again.

Property was nice, staff was friendly, food was awesome.

Ashley, Mark, Mel, Abby, Krista, and parking attendant thank you for a wonderful week for us! Lenny and Donna Callahan Banks

Great view, great access to beach, highly recommended

Was not to happy to find outside bar and restaurant were closed due to roof replacement, if I had known this I would not have stayed here, To many rules for me. Parking should be free or less money. Ice machines should be in a secured area and not outside. I think I should have gotten a credit on my bill so I'll probably not be back, first time to Clearwater, not impressed.

I loved it. Right on the beach and clean rooms!

We loved watching the sunsets! I was surprised to learn that we were able to stay at the beach on property until we needed to leave for our flight which was late. They put all of our luggage in a locked room and we could access it to swap thing if needed. We had a great experience we would definitely stay there again!

We had a wonderful stay at this hotel. The room was spacious, comfortable, and very clean. The staff was always attentive and friendly, which made everything even more enjoyable. The location is well connected, making it easy to get around. We really enjoyed the food at the hotel’s restaurant, as well as other nearby options. Overall, we had a great time and will definitely come back.

Hands down the best hotel on in the area rooms are great veiws are better and the staff,cleanliness,location,are awesome stayed 6 nights weekdays are the best weekends gets over crowded got a upgraded from a city view with 2 doubles to a ocean view with kings 3 year in a row of choosing this spot

We love it

Conveniently located, enjoyed my stay.

Excellent

Restaurant on site was excellent.

Other than that- great location. Amazing staff. Great experience!

Awesome hotel

We couldn’t watch tv, there is no Netflix or prime video, they didn’t make the bed just added towels but everything else was perfect

Love this place!!!!

The staff was amazing, exceptional, and fun. I will be telling my friends about my wonderful stay.

everything was nice.

Rooms were dirty and walls very thin. Very hard to sleep with outside noise

Loved the private beach area!

My first time visiting Clearwater Florida, staying atv

Location location that's the good thing.

The air conditioning is a bit loud . Loved the beach access and location!

The private beach was beautiful

The staff was extremely rude every day. Initial day staff gave wrong times for beach chair rental. Spent two days with fire alarm issues. Now dealing with credit card issues. Front desk stole card info and now resort trying to charge invalid fees. Had to cancel card. Do not stay at this facility.

Everyone there was fantastic! Great stay. Definitely will be booking here again. Got upgraded for free due to availability. That’s says it all. Great place.

The location was great right on your own private beach area. There were also plenty of dining options and a couple of shopping/market options. The pool was nice, but I wish it also would have had a hot tub. The A/C units were being worked on which was a little inconvenient, but the hotel was very good with communication about the process.

The staff were all very friendly until checkout. There was no one there at first and then she was not pleasant with our questions. The hotel was old and seemed clean except for the headboards which were gross -stained very badly.

Excellent service, perfect location. 100% recommend this property!

Loved it all 6 of us did

No area for pick up and drop off if you take uber service. The rest was very good

Everyone was very nice and accommodating. The hotel was clean and very enjoyable. I would stay again. The only downfall was the fire alarm went off at 6:30 am.

Everything ok

Great place we found last minute beautiful property!

Very friendly and helpful staff, very nice bar/restaurant, private beach is simply perfect. Excellent location, mostly everything in walking distance. The ocean view with spacious balkony was a dream.

Great location and the private beach is a plus. Mariah was the best!

Property was clean. Check-in was easy. Staff was friendly I would say the only thing I disliked was that the pool closed at dusk, but other than that it was an enjoyable stay

Convenient location, clean rooms but expensive, overpriced food and drinks. Private beach was so small and then was taken up by chairs and umbrellas for rent. Had to drive to public beaches to get real beach vibe. Pool was also small.

Wonderful staff and location!

The location is perfect, with a great atmosphere throughout—from the entrance and lobby to the rooms. Everything is very clean and well maintained. But what truly made this stay exceptional was the staff—extremely helpful and genuinely friendly.”

“It was an average experience, and the sea view was beautiful, but the room was not clean, and I saw a large cockroach in the bathroom at night.”

The staff was not too pleasant. Not the clearest part in ocean. Place was kind of old looking. No complimentary breakfast

Overall, though, I had a great time at this hotel!

Xxxxxxx

Felt like you were nickle and dimed for everything kind of like frontier or spirit airlines even though a hefty price was paid up front, like daily parking in their garage and service fee and renting your own chairs. A hotel should take care of their customers !

Very nice hotel. Close to everything and still well priced and clean. Only issue is we couldn’t reach them via phone. The number never worked.

Loved the private beach it was a great vacation

Good position right on the beach. I would stay here again

I didn't eat the food but I did love my room it was comfortable I love The view and everyone was so friendly and helpful I just want to say thank you I will come back to Florida and I'll be staying at you guys hotel thank you and have a blessed day

My stay was very good very nice room and everything staff was a little rude when checking in but everyone else was very nice!

This is such an awesome location and great property! The staff was beyond helpful and happy! They made the stay awesome!

Great customer service, clean rooms, and wonderful private beach. Excellent bar service.

Nice private beach hotel. We enjoyed our honeymoon here. The staff was really nice & helpful. Plenty of restaurants in walking distance and also a gas station. We seen some dolphins a couple of times. If ever back in clearwater we will be back

I like the that everything is close. They offer WiFi but it don’t work

Great location!

Just at best an average hitel with a below average restaurant. The pool bar was very good with very good bartenders.

Property is overall nice and well kept!

It was right on the beach and comfortable.

AC unit was leaking by the second day water was everywhere soaked through two towels…extension cord that the unit was plugged into was right there as well..had two smaller children with us..could of been really bad told the front desk but they didn’t say anything

The fact that you have to pay to use beach chairs and umbrellas is a negative... on website does not have a surcharge showing👎 the pool is way too small and definitely not enough pool chairs hardly any for size of hotel! People in front harass you when you're coming back with food telling you cant take to pool! Last time I checked it's a free country! The absolute best part is a server on the beach named ashley!! She was the absolute best and super friendly! Glad I met her!

Beautiful beach.

perfect

Great location to stay in Clearwater!

The experience in this hotel was very nice, the only thing that I did not like was the receptionist, she was not friendly, never smile, she was polite but with rudeness, if you work at the front desk, you are the first impression of the place, then always received customers with a smile.The location is great, the employees at the beach and at the bar were amazing, the drinks and food good and the private beach amazing.

Had to pay for Beach Chairs Room Cleaning services was not good and they only clean every other day

This hotel was great. The pool is just a few steps away from the hotel and the beach is right outside the pool gate. No long treks across the sand or boardwalk lugging coolers and wagons. Perfect. Beach chairs were easy to reserve from the beach attendant, and there were only 3 rows of chairs. Every chair had a nice view. My kids loved all the fish they could see underwater by the rocks. There were only soft waves, and lots of shells to find. The hotel beach-front cafe offered service to your beach chair as well. We received free breakfast tickets for both kids for every morning of our stay from the actual restaurant- not a Continental breakfast. There is a great coffee and ice cream place right across the road, as well as a small grocery. There is also a Surf Style swim shop in case you forgot any beach things and a great miniature golf course right across the road, too. The Jolly Trolley is free for Winter’s Beach Club guests and there is a stop right outside the hotel. We used the trolley daily and it was so convenient - plus you can track the trolley with an app so you know how long to expect to wait. We also bought Clearwater aquarium tickets at the front desk and got a discount. The aquarium is amazing. We loved this hotel and will definitely stay again!

The front desk attendents were not very nice, inviting or helpful. We got there around 11am, had lunch and wanted to check in and was basically told were out of luck, had to wait until 4pm, even after we called they stated they would accommodate at least 2 rooms.We stayed in room 408 and the bathroom had water damage around the baseboard and the floor was coming up, the toliet handle would not work, maintenance came to fix it quickly. Which was very much appreciated.The room cleaning team, when they did come every other day, they did the bare essentials, and we had to go to the front desk to request toliet paper, clean towels and more shampoo. (This was on a cleaning day) aren't these items part of the cleaning and guest services and fees we paid for.The beach was decent, the umbrellas and chairs were nice to have, although it was ridiculous that we had to pay for them, when we already paid for the hotel stay. 2 chairs and cabana were 35.00 for a day and 2 chairs and a umbrella were $20.00 for the day. We got a straw and plastic, plastic,plastic with every breakfast, lunch or drink we ordered, even at the beach. Straws are not ocean friendly and could hurt the animal the hotel says they are and eco friendly.Now, we did see several fish, a few dolphins and several manateesThe beach had alot of shells as you were going into the ocean, which tore up your feet, but once you got past that, early in the morning you see straight down. Candis servered us on the be was amaz

Two improvements I recommend are: 1) Post a sign that clarifies no smoking is allowed on the beach area (instead of just the pool) 2) On the left gate that leads to the beach, place some reflector tape around the edge of the two steps, since they're not always easy to notice.

It is an older hotel. We choose to stay there for the direct beach access.

The room wasn’t ready at the time giving. The Room was ready at 1 hour and a half later than the time giving. The room was dirty and next morning when I woke up I found a bottle of water under the bed meaning that the Room wasn’t clean properly.

We loved the location! Beach area and pool was perfect for us. Great views from the room!

room was neat and clean-only had office like chair in room- would suggest a comfy chair in the room, the restaurant attached was okay. but all in all- perfect stay if you want to relax and not go all over and search for parking. Everything was in walking distance this place has poor, tiki bar, music, restaurant- , water, sand, chairs, umbrella- what else do you need?

The facility was beautiful and clean. The staff in the front desk , this was Saturday morning. They need to get more in sink with each other about the charges they are quoting visitors coming in. They were all quoting different charges and arguing with each other in front of quest. Very unprofessional

Great place to stay & very clean . We will be back! 😊

Don’t get a room across from the parking garage and pool, very noisy

I like the fact that everything was very convenient and walking distance. Thing I didn't like is my room was next to elevator made lots of noise when people coming off going. Especially late at night

Very nice hotel and the staff was so friendly throughout the whole week and they were very helpful! They always made sure you were taken care of! Highly recommend and will definitely visit again!